Living Dreams
by CyanDiamondIce
Summary: Two years later into Advent Children times, Sora finds hope in life with her best friend at her side.  Sephiroth/OC Yazoo/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hey readers, Ice here. I've been following another fanfiction here on FanFic and liked it enough to make a fanfic of it. This is based off of the fanfic "Dreamcatcher" by A Glimpse of Ethereal Blue. She's a wonderful author and keeps us hooked on her great stories.**

**/s/6772909/1/Dreamcatcher**

**_Fanfiction won't let me link you guys to the original story properly. Put fanfiction dot net before the first forward slash._  
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**This story is based in the events of Advent Children IF Sephiroth were to go back to his old ways and fight Cloud (this doesn't happen as far as I know in the original story) plus another character that hopefully I fit in well to the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 ~ Memories and a Best Friend<strong>

There she goes again, just standing there staring at nothing. I hate it when she does that…but what can I do. I cannot bring him back to her he died and went back to the lifestream with that last battle. Out of everything a human can be I am not a goddess. The planet does not want him back and for good reason. I never turned him in when she told me she lived with the maniac; I just couldn't. Even after all he had done, there was still a soft spot in me that just would not turn him in. Plus, she loved him. He was the best thing to ever happen to her…I could not be the one to take that away.

Her deep brown eyes dimmed in memory. It was probably of their first kiss or some romantic scene like that. All the tales she told me about her and the General, living up in that secluded house in the higher regions of the mountain forests, it sounded wonderful. Sora had told me of the garden right outside the house and the little bunny that had enough guts to come up and sniff her hand, even let the woman pet it! With every new story, I wish I was there with her to experience these things with her. Especially when she and the General would argue. She definitely needed a shoulder to cry on at those moments.

I knew the General well, he and I used to work together. Sephiroth was definitely the better SOLDIER than any of us. Personally, I still think I was the second best, but because of my lack of experience in Shinra, I was seen as a lesser amongst the four of us, that is including Genisis and Angeal. It does not help that I am a woman. Even still, my skill is better than most and I can only be thankful that I made it to SOLDIER.

Sora on the other hand I met while she cleaned the reactors. For some reason, I decided to check up on the reactors and sure enough, I bumped into the brunette. I am thankful too; she ended up being my best friend here. It helped my situation of being far away from home…and never being able to go back. Sometimes it still hurts thinking about it, but I've learned one thing here: you need to embrace what you have, had, and learn to accept what comes your way. I had a wonderful life where I was before, I have a potential here, and I can have an even better life here.

There was a day that came that I explained to her, before she disappeared, where I originally came from. I was terrified, but she needed to know. I was relieved to find that she actually found interest in my story. My whole experiment side had no effect because Shinra always was doing something to people. I think from there, we really became best of friends.

She scared me so bad when suddenly no one could find her. Sora's boss called me one morning asking if I had seen her. Things went downhill. No matter where I searched, the girl I had accepted as my best friend here just would not show up. I never gave up hope that she would turn up one day. It was almost a year later that she returned, hurt and in a total mess. To this day I beat myself up for not taking up her offer to spend the night at her place a week before she disappeared…

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what in the world was wrong with her. Cloud had just fought Sephiroth and the former General was dead, struck down by his own admirer. Sora cried long and hard. It took her months just to go a day without crying. I cried with her, our friendship still as strong as ever. Sometimes I wonder if she ever thought about me during her time up in the mountains. If she did not, I do not care. She still considers me a friend and I am sure there were more important things to think about other than what was happening down here in Midgar.

I sauntered over to her and rested my hand on her shoulder. Her head snapped towards me in surprise, being hurled back down to earth. It took her a few moments to realize that it was me and the look on my face must have been enough. Sora suddenly took me into an embrace, happy to have a stronghold. I hugged her back, reassuring her that I was going to be there for her.

"Sora…" my eyes met hers, cyan against chestnut brown. She had grown much stronger with the General, the gleam in her eyes told me that. This Sora was still the person I loved as a friend and could recognize, but someone who learned to embrace everything. Her love for Sephiroth was there too, and I am more than proud of her for not ending her life when his ended.

"I'm fine Ari…I was just," I did not allow her to finish her sentence. "You were thinking about Sephiroth. I know, I understand." I let her go and she settled down on the fluffy light mako green couch. She sighed and her long brown locks came loose of the main body, and dangled there dancing around until the settled. Sora never did cut her hair since she had come back, probably just to remind herself of her love. I settled down in the chair next to the couch. The springs creaked under my weight and finally adjusted to the work load.

"Anything you want to get off your chest hun?" Sora grew disturbingly quiet, the ticking of the manual clock echoed through our apartment. Her eyes grew distant once more as she pondered over the memories that stirred around in that noggin of hers. After a few tense moments she shifted in her seat. I looked at her expectantly, eager to hear what she had to say.

"I was thinking of the first time Sephiroth went insane around me. He was saying there were these noises that wouldn't leave him alone and here's the thing, only he could hear them." There was more to the story, I could tell, but I would not push her if she did not want to tell me. Her stillness lasted for some time before she continued again. "He left me at the house screaming and cursing whoever was torturing him. That's when I saw his wing." I was far too confused from her problem. Before she could continue I asked her a question.

"How you're saying it sounds like you could hardly believe and accept it…but you didn't have a problem with me…what's the difference?" Sora looked me in the eye with a determined but broken face.

"You are from somewhere else and had reason to distrust me and everyone else. Sephiroth had made _love_ to me and yet didn't find it necessary to tell me about these details." Okay, that I had to agree to. But the main question now is _why_ he never told her. When I asked her, she said it was complicated. I nodded and let her continue on. She told me more of the time she spent up in the mountain. What makes me the happiest is when Sephiroth killed her ex. The man, if that is what you want to call him, had totally lost it years ago. "I kinda envy you Sora."

She stopped and looked at me. I only smiled and explained myself. She got to experience something far beyond anyone could imagine, and eve was able to tame the most evil…well not evil…misguided man in all of the planet. Sora blushed and said it was nothing, it could have happened to anyone.

"But it didn't Sora, it happened to you." What Sora said next surprised me beyond my wits. "Well…actually Jenova convinced me." What in the…

"Jenova…you mean the Jenova that fell from space thousands of years ago and nearly wiped out the planet?" She nodded and told me that Jenova had convinced her by using her subconscious against her. "How in all of the beasts of this planet did she know about that?" Sora looked at me confused. "Sorry…I'm not sure what phrases you guys use to show great exclamation," she nodded and continued.

Sora hypothesized that Jenova can enter anyone's mind and use it against them. She then explained one of her dreams that Jenova helped start her late period. We continued with idle talk until it was time to go to bed. We bid each other good night and went our respective rooms.

I had breakfast going when Sora stumbled out of her room. She seemed to be in a better mood now, which relieved me so much. I had her sit and wait for breakfast, which she was beginning to get impatient for. Homemade pancakes with blueberries, I knew it was something she rather enjoyed, especially since she was not cooking it. Warm fresh pancakes filled up her plate as I loaded it with three pieces along with butter and syrup. For a final touch, I dabbed on a bit of whipped cream.

This is the first time I have seen her look so happy. It made me wonder what Sephiroth really did to her up there…did he ever cook for her? A giggle accidently came out and Sora looked to me curiously. The wave of my hand let her finish her plate. Honestly, the great General cooking? Man I was stupid sometimes.

I sat down with her after all the batter was gone and took my fill. We conversed of clothes, shopping, and anything else girls would talk about…besides boys. No matter what happened or will happen, I would never talk about boys with her. The subject would just make her think of Sephiroth again. I started to beat myself up again. If only I could bring him back…

"Hey, Sora," she stopped cutting her pancake and turned her attention to me. "I want to take you somewhere today. It's a place I go to when I really just want to get away from the city. I kinda feel like that today. Plus, we need to get you out of this apartment!" Her dark brown eyes scrutinized every fiber of my being. I smiled softly at her.

"Alright. We can go." I jumped up excited. A loud cheer resonated through the complex and Sora just chuckled. Good, we're making plenty of progress. I hugged her while picking up the dishes, determined to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Go ahead and get ready Sora. When I'm done here, I'll get changed and we'll head out!" I stood there washing the dishes humming a note to an old song back from my home when suddenly that sharp pain came. A gruff grunt came from me and Sora stopped. I could feel her eyes on my back as the expected answer came. "Are you alright Ari?"

I nodded and stretched my right arm up to get into the cabinet. The back of my shirt lifted with me, showing my pale skin, just as pale as Sora's. My skin grew paler when I heard Sora gasp.

"Ari…what is that?" My hand retracted quickly to let my shirt cover my back. "It's nothing Sora, just a bruise." She shook her head,

"'A bruise' my foot! You have it don't you?" Goose bumps crawled across my skin as she asked that question. This is what happens when you get careless. I could not answer her…she already knew. The only thing I could think of was to hang my head in shame. "Why didn't you tell me?" Her hand felt warm and welcome on my shoulder.

I turned to look her in the eye, most literally since we are the same height, but I just could not find the words to answer her. Her hand squeezed gently and it gave me just enough assurance to tell her.

"You already have enough to think about. I don't want to add onto those." The deepest look of admiration and gratefulness crossed her face, as well as a hint of scorn.

"Ari, I'm really touched that you're thinking of me like that, but like me, you also have problems. I've done nothing but cry on your shoulder. You should be able to do the same." This time, I took her in an embrace. She whole-heartedly returned the hug, just happy to have a friend in all this mess. "How long have you had it?"

I took a step back and thought for a few seconds. "I believe about two months. I've noticed a lot of the children have it, but not many adults…I wonder what the problem is?" Sora shrugged. "I've heard that the planet is angry. But wouldn't the planet just attack us with the lifestream?" I shrugged this time. "I've not a clue Sora." With that we went to our rooms, changed and headed out the door.

My bike sat in the street, waiting for its master to come and ignite its power. I put in the key and turned it, revving the bike to hear its inner strength. Sora just laughed and shook her head. A smile stretched across my face, this was going to be an interesting day. By the Ancients, how right I was going to be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hiya readers! Ice here, here's the second part to my fanfic of "Dreamcatcher" by A Glimpse of Ethereal Blue. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sora (© Ethereal) or FF7 (© Enix and all the other big wigs) but I do own Ari**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 ~ History Served With A Dash Of Family<strong>

The dust and dirt flew around us as the tires of my bike ate away at the ground, hauling its load to a place I had not been to in two years. I did not want to leave Sora alone too long or have her go sight-seeing. If anything, Sora just needed time to collect herself, which now she has. The ground slowly started turning to grass, a sign that we were approaching our destination. It would still be sometime and I wish I would have waited until night, but Sora needed out of the apartment. And frankly, so did I.

Sora would have been all 'go and have your fun' but I know her better. She really did hurt. Now I can help her, even if just a little.

I smiled to myself and sped up a little. This place was beautiful, even more so at night. The deeper we went, the thicker the grass became. Though, it was not as lush as an oasis, the floral department certainly did not lack. Finally, a bare bright tree zipped past us.

Sora watched as more and more sped by until they were thick around us. My focus was clearly on the goal ahead. I heard a gasp from behind as Sora began to notice the trees ability to glow. "These are beautiful." I giggled. She was enjoying herself.

My mind began to wander to weird unknown thoughts. What if Sephiroth decided to return, or somehow came back to life? Would Sora go back to him or would she be so torn between the right and the wrong.

_Tch…from all the wrong done to her in her life, what good is there?_ My mind went silent. _Sephiroth…that's what…_ I sighed to myself and rode on. Sora seemed to enjoy the wind in her hair and I smiled. _You are probably the strongest person I know._

Puddles of water rippled as my bike zoomed through the dimly glowing forest. This place would look so much better if it were night. That's okay, it's still a nice place to get away from society. Finally after an hour of driving, the weird statue building thing came into view. Revving the engine, I sped up again and pushed my bike to its limit. Sora held on tighter unsure what to think of my behavior. I only laughed.

The last few minutes passed quickly and my bike slowed to a stop. Sora leapt off while I set my bike. We walked a little in silence. Sora was just amazed at the place. She stopped short of the large puddle…or small lake. Whatever someone would call it. A pool of water…there.

"Do you know what this place is, Sora?" I turned over to her and she shook her head. "It's the Forgotten City." She turned at me in surprise.

"How did you find it?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"By pure accident." It was true. I began my story to her. While she was working as the maintenance girl and I had time away from Shinra, I would just get on my bike and ride. Just one time I found that a tree zipped by and it caught my attention. I kept following the trail of trees and sure enough, I found the place. "It's pretty isn't it?" Sora nodded in agreement.

I jumped across the water and landed without a sound. When I looked around, I noticed some…belongings.

"Huh…?" I thought aloud and strolled over to a bag of random items. Most of it looked like holders for weapons. Even spare weapons were in here. Sora stretched from across the water to see what I was looking at.

"What is it?" Nothing was said as I stood and hopped back over. I then proceeded to tell her. "So then…someone lives here?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"I guess and they must be fighters," I turned my back to the road as well as Sora. "As long as I've come and visited this place…no one has inhabited it before…" There was a click behind me…and cold metal to the back of my head.

Slowly I turned and found who had successfully snuck up to us. Sora dared her luck as well.

My eyebrows knitted together, somewhat staring straight down the barrel of a long gun, and noticed a rather tall man…with silver hair. _Sephiroth? No, Sephiroth wields a sword, not a gun._ I looked him closer, the guy had long silver hair, well about as long as to his upper back and mako green eyes. His eyes were not as wild as Sephiroth's though, more of a calm…_sweet_ look. Did I really just think that?

Before I could say anything, a young voice pierced the tense silence.

"Who are you two and what are you doing here?" I turned my attention past the gun wielder and noticed a boy roughly the age of seventeen, glaring at us.

"I could ask you the same thing…but to answer your questions, I'm Ari and this is Sora. I come here when I need to get away from the city and she came along with me this time." All eyes were on me and I did not like it too well. A third man came into view and it was then I realized the situation we were in. If I were by myself, things would be a lot easier, but Sora…poor girl.

"The city…are you one of Big Brother's friends?" I stepped back from the gun and motioned I was not in any intention of fighting.

"What do you mean 'Big Brother'? I have no siblings." There was a slight moan in the back and the third man seemed to by crying. Slightly guilty I asked, "I-is he okay? Did I say something wrong?"

"Don't cry Loz," a shiver went down my spine. The gun wielder, who kept the choice of weapon in his hand the whole time, had a wonderful voice. Smooth, soft, and manly. _Get a hold of yourself…_ Loz sucked it up and glared at his accuser. "I'm NOT crying!"

"So then is Big Brother dead?" I deadpanned at this question. My attention went back to the youngest. I reiterated my question.

"WHAT do you mean by 'Big Brother'?" He looked at me slightly miffed.

"Don't play with us girl! I asked-" I glared at him,

"And I'm telling you I don't know who this 'Big Brother' is! Why did, uh Loz, cry when I said I have no siblings?" Loz then proceeded to glare at me which I blatantly ignored. "And another thing, what in the world are your names!" The youngest had no interest in saying so, but the gunman had some sort of manners.

"I'm Yazoo, that's my younger brother Kadaj, and my older brother you know as Loz." Finally, something is known about these guys…besides the fact that they look like Sephiroth.

"Thank you Yazoo. Now would any of you brothers like to explain to me 'Big Brother'?" Kadaj kept watching me closesly until he realized that I was completely at a loss for what he was saying.

"Big Brother is Cloud. He should know where Mother is." Again…who is mother? Sora hitched in breath and I turned to her. In a quiet whisper I asked, "what's wrong?" She looked at me stupidly.

"You should know…who else would say 'mother'." At first I thought that all kids say mother, but then it was the connection of hair and eye color that got me to think like her. I mouthed an "oooh" to her.

"Here's the truth. A long time ago, Cloud and I worked at the same place…he was nothing more to me than just a recruit trying to be a SOLDIER. We never got close enough to be friends." Loz again whimpered. I rolled my eyes.

"Are you sure it's safe enough to tell them so much information about yourself to them?" Sora whispered in my ear. I turned my head to her. "Are you sure it was safe to love the former General?"

Kadaj did not enjoy that we were having our side conversations and asked what we were talking about. I told him that it really was none of his business, plus he would never understand. Women speak differently than men. He scoffed but left it at that. Yazoo turned to his younger brother, asking what was to be done with us. I paled. If they attacked…Sora, please run for your life.

Yazoo turned back to us, a strange aura radiating from him. It was more how his eyes scanned us than anything. Even Kadaj was analyzing us to a creeper extent…wait…were they? I kept a close eye on Yazoo.

"Now I remember. You looked far more familiar than I thought." I looked at Yazoo weirdly. "Sora, will you return to us Sister?" I looked at her in confusion and she stepped back. My left hand instinctively rose to block anyone to reach her.

"Again with this whole family thing? What do you mean that Sora is Sister?" Kadaj just chuckles.

"He's calling to you Sora. When He comes back, He wants you there at his side." My eyes went wide.

"Sephiroth…" A dark and sadistic laugh sounded from him.

"Very good. Sora what do you say?" All eyes were on her. She turned to me for support. Those eyes…so hurt and lost, but with a glimmer of hope. Her lover could come back! And not only that, but he wants her by his side. But…what had happened to him? He had loved and cared for her one day, and the next he was not even home.

Sora had just woken up and found that there was an unfamiliar absence of heat. Sephiroth had left her. I felt hurt, not for myself, but for her. I could only imagine waking up and not finding my lover where he was supposed to be…not only that but truly gone. How it must have hurt to find out he was killed within the next day.

My attention returned back to reality as she kept staring at me. Torn between being with him and wondering if it is a good idea to go back to him. Instinctively my hands grabbed her arms and held them tight. She looked at me in wonder.

"Sora, listen to me," I started off, gaining her full attention, "whatever you decided, I will support your decision all the way. I will stay by your side as a true friend." Her brown eyes grew wide and tears threatened to fall. I expected the following hug as she wrapped her arms around me and I returned the motion. It was tight and full of emotion.

"Thank you Ari. That means more to me than I could ever express." I just squeezed tighter in acknowledgement and she let go. Following her lead, I let go and she stepped toward Kadaj. Her posture was so sure and determined, even there I knew her answer. "Kadaj, I will join you and your brothers, so I'll be there when He returns. Both me and Ari." The brothers, save for Kadaj, turned to me, surprised. I ignored them and smiled at Sora.

As long as things went smoothly, everything would be okay. But things were not to be that way.

My phone rang and I looked at it in surprise. The thing vibrated on my hip as it rang the second time, trying to get my attention, or rather the caller trying to get to me. All persons had their eyes on me as I stared at my phone. My eyes went wide.

Shinra.

"HOW in the world did they get my number! I changed it!" Sora looked at me in confusion.

"Who are you talking about?" I blinked a couple of times in disbelief.

"Shinra…I wonder if Rufus is trying to get a hold of me…but why? I abandoned them years ago…" Kadaj eyed me warily.

"How do we know you're not trying to pull a fast one on us." This time I glared at him.

"Really? I'm going to stick with Sora from here on out. I promised her as a true friend I wouldn't leave her side. I've never gone back on my word." Sora stood up for me, getting the brothers off my back. Or at least hopefully so.

My phone finally stopped ringing, but I had a wrenching feeling in my gut. To ease our way in, I suggested we talk to figure each other out. After all, we were part of the team now and the best way for us to trust one another was to just talk. I found out that Loz, even though he was the oldest and looked the manliest, was rather sensitive. At some parts of the conversation, I thought he looked rather adorable.

Yazoo, the second oldest, was the calmest and most mature. Granted he was the one that looked the most feminine, through the face at least, he was the one to catch my attention. He certainly gained Sephiroth's allure. I laughed to myself until I felt one single vibration.

With caution I took my phone out and saw that I had one new voicemail. _Shinra left a voice message?_ I called my voicemail and let it get far enough and only deleted it. After Sephiroth abandoned Shinra, I had nothing left to do with them. It was their fault he went mad in the first place. My phone went back into its holster and I noticed Yazoo looking at me.

"Yes?" He was quiet for a moment before motioning his head to my phone. "Oh…Shinra left a message. I just deleted it." He 'hmph'd and we joined back into the conversation. Kadaj was trying to figure out Sora. Both she and I were shorter than the brothers, even Kadaj who only stood at five feet and nine inches. He asked her how she met Sephiroth and why he was so interested in her.

Without shame she recalled her story, omitting a lot of the intimacy between her and him, and filled the brothers in completely. Kadaj seemed baffled by all of this and I questioned him if he doubted Sephiroth's judgment. The boy quickly composed himself and denied the accusation. I lightly smirked at his attitude.

_Typical boy._ Kadaj then turned his attention on me and how I belonged in all of this.

"Simple, I'm with her." I said pointing to Sora. He smirked at me and challenged my answer.

"Really? How do you know Sora?" I rolled my eyes.

"If you wanted to more of a story, you should've asked. You only asked how I'm in 'this'" referring to the current situation, "but to answer your question, I was in SOLDIER, as you already know, when Sephiroth was loyal to Shinra. When I had free time I just went wherever. The one time I went to a mako reactor, I met her, who was just a maintenance girl at the time. Neither of us had a lot of girlfriends so we ended up hanging out quite a bit until we were really good friends. Does that answer your question?" He kept staring at me for a time then nodded. Kadaj then posed another question to me.

"So then where does your hair come from? I've never seen any mako do that." I knew why he didn't say eyes, cause mako gives really vivid colored eyes, but hair? The most was Genisis' red hair. I probably visibly paled at that, but answered all the same.

"I was a different experiment…" Kadaj looked at me funny. "It's something I'm not comfortable talking…" Sora caught my attention. Even the boys turned to her. That look she was giving…I knew what she wanted me to do…but was it safe? I sighed in defeat.

"Alright…I'll tell them." Kadaj looked at me expectantly, Loz looked totally excited and Yazoo just _looked_ bored, though his aura gave off a totally different signal. "You may or may not believe me, but either way, this is my story. I'm not from here…this planet. I came from a totally different world…maybe even dimension. I'm not sure. Just like here, there is a professor where I come from…he did experiments on us. Though, unlike most scientists here, he experimented on kids. Granted we had to be at least ten years old to even be a possibility to survive, but still a kid. He made a machine to take us somewhere else…somewhere out of the way. Kore, which is what we call him, created his greatest experiment, one that would aid in his goal of taking over the world. A goal to ensue revenge on the world; but he never planned on his experiment to turn against him, be able to be strong enough to ignore his commands. That experiment is me. I was sixteen when that happened…and Kore made that machine not long after, realizing that no matter what he did…I would thwart his plans. The one time I let my guard down was the time he transported me here. I was still sixteen. Shinra got a hold of me, realized that I was like a person with mako infused energy and I quickly rose through the ranks of Shinra military. I was seventeen when I entered SOLDIER and met Sephiroth."

I was not looking at anyone, nor did I want to. All of what I just told them was still very vivid. Only two years ago. I missed my home very much. My friends, my family, everything.

"Why don't you just go home?" I looked up to my left to see Yazoo looking at me mildly interested. Again I sighed.

"Because the machine he used only takes one genetic information at a time. When I went through it, it recognized that I went in and I would be the one to come back out. But, on a mission one of my rivals paid me a visit and therefore sealed my fate. I am stuck here. The machine will not recognize me and will either push me back out here or eradicate my existence in the space between here and there." He was quiet for a moment. I think I knew what question he was going to ask next. "And here's another thing…someone has to activate the machine to open the portal home for me. Kore kept the blasted thing very well secured."

There was a chuckling then a full blown laugh. We all turned to see Loz running out of breath. When he finished and caught his breath, his eyes met mine with a wide smile. Confused I looked to Kadaj for answers. He was just as confused as we were.

"You are like our sister! Brothers we have a sister!" Uhhh…what? Did he just…n-

"You are right brother." Again, what! The brothers looked to me…apparently now their adopted sister expecting me to say something. Well, there was only one good way out of this…

"I guess I have a family here now, don't I?" Loz's smile widened and suddenly my feet did not even touch the ground. Strong arms embraced me into a bear hug, almost literally. I noticed Sora's smile as I let Loz hug me and right there I knew I made the correct choice.

Once again, my feet were on solid ground and I was able to move about. We settled down and began to talk again, this time on a more relaxed level. The minutes passed quickly, turning into hours, and night settled in on us. Everything was going fine until my back reeled in pain.

The shots of pain were nearly unbearable as I gasped and fell to the ground with a thud. Everyone turned to me in shock and Sora was there first. I grunted and clenched my hands countless times, trying to deal with the pain that racked my body and rendered it useless. Visions of Sephiroth flashed through my mind, his silvery hair swaying in a blaze of fire that had lost all senses. His presence…I could _feel_ him. Shivers coursed through my body until my eyes rolled to the back and my vision blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Heya there readers! Welcome back! Here's chapter 3 and I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Sephiroth & co. do not belong to me, Square Enix does. Sora belongs to Ethereal Blue and Ari belongs to me. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 ~ Confronting Shinra<strong>

**Sora's POV**

Can this really be true? Could he be coming back? I just had to hold onto that idea, that maybe, just maybe, I'll be in those strong arms again.

It only helped that Ari was there with me and she gave me the confidence that I needed. When I agreed and Ari agreed to being part of their little family, everything…relaxed. It felt…good.

Ari's story did not bother me or surprise me, I had heard before anyway. The boys took to her story well…maybe because they are connected to Sephiroth in a way and they know it is true? How much did Sephiroth know of her? Note to self, ask Sephiroth how well he knows Ari.

I frankly enjoyed this calm time together. No stress, no fear, no nothing except fun. Ari was distracted from her phone for a bit and we figured out Shinra was trying to get a hold of her. As long as she kept to her word, I was fine.

_Hehe, I see you Ari. You get really shy around a guy you like._ Right off the bat, whether if she denied it or not, she had a thing for Yazoo.

My attention was on Kadaj for the longest time, enjoying a conversation about materia and the effects of mako until I heard a loud thud. When I turned, my heart fell to the ground.

Ari was writhing in pain, more than likely from the stigma acting up. Before the boys could react, I was on my knees trying to get her body to relax. Sweat had already built up forming a shiny coat on her face and arms and making it hard to get a decent grip on Ari.

"Ari! Ari!" I kept calling her name hoping that maybe she could hear me and try to control her episode. But it is my luck that this episode is the worst of what she has ever experienced. Even her eyes…they just seemed lost. As if she were in a whole other world. The best friend that I ever had…and I could not even help her.

No.

I am helping her. Just by being here for her, I am doing what a friend should be doing. Her head went into my lap as she finally slowed her twitching. The only bad part, she blacked out. These cyan blue locks of hers, as they slid between my fingers, felt rather soft. I began to wonder what side-effects her experiments had. Was she in a way, perfect, like Sephiroth?

The brothers threw a barrage of questions at me, wondering what was wrong with their newly adopted sister. After a competition of yelling I finally got them to shut up long enough to answer.

"She's got Geostigma." They stopped immediately. I wondered what was going on with them. Maybe they understood the severity of things now? Yazoo spoke up.

"How long has she had it?" I shrugged.

"She told me about two months. I just found out about it this morning." Kadaj looked away and Loz seemed to be on the verge of crying. "Though I will say by her reaction it seems to be the worst episode she's had."

"Where is the stigma?" I motioned to her backside. "It's on her back." Yazoo bent down and gently turned her and lifted up her shirt. The marks were across her back in a diagonal position, starting from the lower right corner. Yazoo didn't look too happy. The other two came up and stared at the disease, looking rather distressed. What was wrong with them? After moments of silence, the boys backed off and spent their time deep in thought or relaxing.

Somewhere along the line I fell asleep, but movements on my lap stirred me awake.

**Ari's POV**

Ugghhh…my head. That was certainly an interesting experience. My back still throbbed in pain, though nothing like what had happened earlier. So far I could tell that night had settled in and the trees looked amazing this time of day. Sora slept soundly until I began to stir. Her eyes bore into mine fear and relief mixed together. I smiled at her which softened the brunettes gaze.

"Ari, are you alright?" I nodded.

"I'm fine Sora. Help me up." Again she was hesitant but sat me up none the less. Yazoo was not too far off from where we were. When I sat up he immediately came to me. For some reason Sora left me with him. Did she think…? Nah.

The silver haired man squatted down in front of me examining to see if I would be alright. I just smiled at the seemingly innocent male. Nothing changed. My smiled drooped as I looked to him.

"Yazoo?" He blinked to my calling. I looked away from his beautiful eyes. "What…how…how do I put this…?" The words just could not come through. His hand found my chin as he forced me to look into his bright green eyes.

"What is it?" Oooh! Shivers! I felt that…and it felt kinda good. I sighed and slowly put the words together.

"During my episode…before I passed out, I saw Sephiroth. I saw him and Kadaj." I paused for a moment just looking at his face. Porcelain skin so smooth and soft, I just wanted to reach up and touch it. "Is Kadaj going to turn into Sephiroth?" There was silence, icy cold silence. I knew that answer. And I knew where the stigma came from too. "I see."

My chin left his hand and I stood up. It was shaky but I was able to stand none the less. The biggest obstacle was to take a few steps. Holding onto the tree one foot went in front of the other, so on and so forth until I did not need the support. When I stopped for a second to take in the surroundings, I felt ridiculous. I'm eighteen years old and needing support to walk? Man, how far I've gone down.

Hands held onto my waist as I stood still. I gazed back to see Yazoo watching me carefully. Gently I pushed his hands off, letting him know I was fine. A soft smile went his way. He nodded lightly and walked off. Looking to the ground I grinned from ear to ear.

I followed Sora and the other inside the tree looking thing across the water and we all settled in for the night. I stole a glance to Yazoo without anyone seeing and fell asleep.

The city bustled as the morning drug on. After a quick meeting with Kadaj, I agreed to go see Shinra and see if I could not find mother there, as it seemed he could not get Rufus to admit where he hid Jenova. Out of everything I could have done, I really did not want to see the man in charge of the electric company. Sora accompanied me being the support this time.

My old work place loomed in the distance almost a sign for me not to go back in but I continued on. The doors creaked as we walked through the front door and all heads turned to me. Silence enveloped us as I continued up to the counter. How the lobbyist held herself I could tell she was extremely disinterested in what she was doing and really could not care less on how well she helped me. I stood there at the counter for probably a minute before I cleared my throat. My theory was correct.

The woman looked up disinterested and answered me with a sigh. "Can I help you?" My eyebrows knotted together disgusted with her attitude. Her face stayed the same despite my obvious disgust.

"Someone needs to teach you some manners. You are speaking to a former SOLDIER. Now straighten up before I make you." She scoffed straightening her back.

"Former huh? What did you do to get kicked out?" My eyes narrowed dangerously irritated with her complete disrespect.

"I quit. Shinra does crap I don't approve of. Where is Rufus?" Her laugh was quite harsh against our ears. Sora looked away and I just frowned.

"Ruf-"

SLAM!

She jumped and so did all the workers in the lounge. Sora looked at me in surprise as my hard gaze turned icy and pierced through her being. The desk felt most of the blunt force from my hand. Cracks reached almost to the end of the flat surface.

"My patience with you is wearing extremely thin. Is Rufus in his office?" It was more of a demand than a question. The woman nodded shakily and I continued on without another word. Sora close behind avoiding the men's gazes.

We were both quiet for about half the way up to his office until Sora broke the silence. I could tell she wanted to make sure I was okay, her aura was quite strong at the moment.

"Ari…," I turned to her with a neutral face, "are you okay?" Nodding I filled her in more.

"I just really don't want to see Rufus. But," I lowered my voice to a whisper, "for the sake of our brother I'll do it." She nodded and the tense atmosphere rested between us. Though for me, I was still on edge.

My footsteps were going on their own, taking me to my former boss' room. It only took a few more minutes before the large doors appeared and loomed over us. Without thinking I just entered.

At the intrusion Rufus began to protest furious that someone interrupted his work but upon seeing me he calmed down. Sora closed the door behind us and waited patiently. Silence enveloped us as I stared Rufus down and I took note of . Nothing but the sound of the AC blowing in the background sounded and gave an eerie feeling to the room. Growing irritated I broke the silence.

"What is it that you want?" He cocked his head slightly with a small frown on his face.

"Did you not get my message?" I scoffed.

"I deleted it." His aura flared letting me know he was already slightly irritated. I ignored it and waited.

"Then why did you come here?" Quick on my feet I made a legitimate excuse.

"My friend here convinced me to see what you needed because it is the first time since I left that you've called me." Rufus turned his attention to Sora and scrutinized her. I partially covered her knowing she would feel extremely uncomfortable in such a situation. "There is no need to look at her like that. I invited her along and if you really want any kind of help from me you'll leave her be." He turned his attention to me only to meet a glare. In a subtle move he straightened up, carefully forming his words to persuade me to help him in any way.

"Very well." He maneuvered his wheelchair, which surprised me greatly to see him in, around his desk and looked up to me. The silence coming from him unnerved me a bit which turned my curiosity on. So he was serious in needing my help then huh? "I need a strong arm at my side."

I looked taken aback. What? Why in the world would he need that? An eyebrow cocked and he continued on.

"There is no one else that will help me and you are the last person I can turn to." I scoffed believing a word. Before I could protest he continued on, "I need your help because I've been researching into Sephiroth's wake." Both Sora and I froze.

"…And?"

"We found something…but interrupted. We man-" I cut him off before he could get too far ahead.

"Interrupted by who? Rufus, if I am to help you, you need to tell everything. Sora isn't going to tell a word of it and neither will I." He looked between us and sighed.

"By a gang of three boys. Kadaj and his gang. They were after the same thing we were." I gave him a questioning look.

"Which is…" I held my palm stretched out encouraging him to go on.

"Jenova's head." A look of plain disgust wiped over my face.

"Now why in Gaia's name would you do that?" From underneath that white hood I could see his eyes staring straight into mine. A strange feeling washed over me. What look was he giving me…was that a vibe of lust from him? Ewww…

"We believe that Kadaj and his brothers are pieces of Sephiroth but they're not complete…" he trailed off and things immediately started connecting.

"If they get a hold of her head they can become whole again and become Sephiroth…" I glared at Rufus who raised his head in confusion. "Then why don't you ask Cloud? He's the one that defeated Sephiroth in the first place." When Sora didn't react I felt proud of her. I smiled inwardly at her strength.

"_Sora when we get there we may end up talking about Sephiroth. I need you to be strong and not react when we start talking about him, can you do that?" She nodded lightly._

"_I can do that." I smiled at her and she did the same to me._

"_Okay, let's go."_

Her mind came back to Rufus who had been silent for a few moments. I realized why.

"Hmph. So let me guess, you do have Jenova's head." He tensed visibly. "Don't act surprised." I stared right at his right hand. "Let me see her."

There was reluctance and finally he held up the box. Something was calling me and I stepped forward. With some care I took the metal box in my grasp and looked at the casing.

_Ari…_

I stared at the box a little longer hearing an echoing alien voice. Following instinct I closed my eyes and darkness enveloped me.


	4. Chapter 4

__**This was a quick update! I'm so excited! I don't know what's gotten over me lately. I should be updating my other stories...lol I'm pretty sure there is only one more chapter left for me to write, so its coming to a close!**

**Disclaimer: Sephiroth & co. belong to Square Enix, Sora belongs to Ethereal Blue, and Ari belongs to me.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 ~ The Return<strong>

_Darkness enveloped me which eerily felt like a warm blanket. Was darkness supposed to feel like this? I thought it was supposed to be cold and uninviting. Looking around there was nothing…no light…no scenery…no nothing._

"_Hello?" I called out and in a way I hoped someone would reply. There was._

"_Welcome child." I jumped and turned around to see a very serene looking woman floating there. She was beautiful and in every way she was perfect, except her eyes. They held a malignant purpose. It did not take long to figure out who she was._

"_Jenova…" A smile crept up on her face. "What…well really, why did you call me?" The alien woman circled me, analyzing who and what I was._

"_Because you have my cells. I want you to do me a favor." I watched her stop before me again seemingly pleased with her examination. I cocked an eyebrow at her._

"_I have your cells…by my power or…?" She smirked down at me._

"_Both. To answer your next question my guess is Shinra. I did not send any of my genetic material to your world. The man that gave you your power has no idea what exactly he gave you and it seems you have the highest amount of concentration." I nodded._

"_Then that would explain my quick ranking in SOLDLIER. Alright, I have a feeling of what that favor is. And let me say this. I'll do it, only because Sora is missing her lover. But what will become of Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz?" Jenova stopped and stared me down. The air seemed…amusing?_

"_Are you worried of the remnants? They will reunite and become one with Sephiroth." My heart dropped. That did not seem fair to them, they were living beings now and to take that away…I guess they were just bits and pieces of one person. Jenova took notice of my silence. "You wish to be with my second oldest." A blush rose to my cheeks as I turned away. She cackled._

"_To be attracted to one of my sons is natural. They are perfect in their aspects. If you are successful and help Sephiroth take this planet, I will reward you." I looked back to her and nodded. She smiled again._

"_I will help you….Mother." With that everything began to gain color and return to normal._

Sora had her hand on my shoulder and I smiled back at her. Startled by my sudden movement she looked at me warily before smiling back. Rufus watched me for a moment longer. I handed him the box and nodded.

"Fine, I'll do it. I'll be back later today to start." He nodded and dismissed the both of us.

When Sora and I were safely outside Shinra and in the desert, she began to question me. I shook my head.

"I'm not going to stop Sephiroth from coming back, in fact I'm going to stick to my word with Kadaj and help him bring back the General." Sora nodded and the camp loomed in the distance. Yazoo was the first one she saw, _well no duh, you like him_. Startled by her thoughts, she shook her head and continued.

At camp, I slowed to a stop and dismounted my bike. Kadaj and the brothers closed in to listen to the news.

I explained what was going to happen and how we would get Sephiroth back.

"…so meet me up there Kadaj and I'll hand you the container while Yazoo and Loz distract the Turks down below. Are we agreed?" The boys nodded and Kadaj smirked devilishly. Yazoo and Loz left to go gather the kids and they were left alone with Kadaj to mull over his thoughts.

Ari sat off to the side enjoying the scenery. Sora strolled up and sat next to her. "What's wrong?" Ari shook her head.

"It's nothing Sora. Just a little nervous to how this will play out. Cloud is sure to rear his ugly head at this and try to stop us from bringing back Sephiroth. It's not that he's a challenge for me, but I don't know how strong he's gotten. He somehow did take Sephiroth out two years ago…but that was then. I'm sure he's lost that power since then…" She patted my shoulder.

"I'm sure everything will work out fine." I smiled at her.

"Thanks Sora."

The children all stood around the lake, all infected with the stigma. To get everything going, we still needed the children to catch any opposing forces attention. I stayed only for a little longer before leaving back for Shinra. To stay hidden I took a different route back to Midgar and headed back to the electric company. This time I had to leave Sora behind, but the brothers assured me they would take care of her.

Once I was back at the forsaken place, Rufus had me take an oath, which I followed but crossed my toes. There was no way I was going to help this slimeball. We settled down for the night, I kept my distance from him but close enough to save his sorry butt if I needed to. While I was sitting there last night, memories flooded back from last night.

"_Hey Sora…" she turned to me wondering why I called her name._

"_Yeah?"_

"_When we were back in Rufus's office, I saw her."_

"_Jenova?" I nodded my head._

"_She was calling out to me. It was weird, I immediately remembered your stories of when she came to you and it seemed unrealistic that she was calling to me." Sora laughed._

"_What did she want?"_

"_Nothing you couldn't expect. She wanted me to do her a favor, which was to bring her to one of the boys. I told her I'd do it, but only because it was for you. I saw the faintest of smirks on her face when I said that. Jenova must want you with him." A blush erupted on her face with a smile. I laughed this time._

"_Did she mention your crush on Yazoo?" I stiffened when she said that and saw Yazoo and Kadaj look our way when she said that. Loz was confused why they were looking our way. I waved my hand in dismissing the matter a blush of my own spread across my cheeks._

"_Perhaps, but that's not important." I said it just low enough that only Sora could hear. She laughed at me again and we just watched Kadaj and Loz wrestle for a while._

I sighed and shook my head. "Everything will work out just fine tomorrow." With that I crawled into bed and fell into a light sleep.

I woke up early the next morning to my phone ringing. Half-awake I reached for the noisy thing and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Ari?" I recognized that feminine voice.

"Sora, morning."

"Yazoo would like to talk with you." I froze for a moment, my heart up in my throat. Collecting myself I okayed for the talk. There was a slight shuffle on her end before I heard him.

"Ari." I sat up stretching and yawned. "…what was that?"

"I just woke up. It was a stretch and a yawn." I heard his characteristic 'hmph'. I rolled my eyes. "Alright Mr. Grumpy, what do ya need?" Either he ignored me or just tossed aside my name for him.

"What are we going to do about Sora?" I scrunched my eyebrows together.

"Really? Sora couldn't have asked me that? Well, never mind," I caught myself before things got bad, "have your little brother bring her with him. It'll be easier to have her there when he gets here." I had to remind myself that I was in Shinra at the moment. If I was rigged by either camera or mic, they would not know what I was talking about. I looked at the clock and sighed, "I have to go. Rufus is expecting me soon. Eugh…" I heard a light chuckle on his end. One of my own slipped out and I bid him goodbye.

Quickly I dressed and headed up to Rufus's office. I idled there for most of the morning before Rufus got a call about two men angering the people in the square. Good…things were going according to plan. It was then that we headed out. Slowly Rufus remembered why I had advanced to SOLDIER so quickly. Even with his wheelchair, I could lift him off the ground and jump ridiculous heights in no time. I put his chair back down and he watched me with a keen eye. This did not go past me.

"You may want to look at others instead of me. You can see how much of a freak I am." My cyan hair danced with the wind, almost as if it were trying to help me emphasize my point. My focus was down on Yazoo and Loz in the square. I heard a chuckle from the blonde.

"Do you feel threatened by me eyeing you?" EWWWW. Someone please help me. I scoffed at his remark.

"You're what 27…28?" He chuckled again.

"21." Really? REALLY? Of all my luck he is just about as old as Yazoo, just a little older. I said nothing else as he kept watching me. "Why are you so occupied with those two down there?" A sigh escaped my lips. A screech echoed and I saw Bauhamut Sin circling around the square. Rufus quieted a bit and I smirked inwardly.

"For being head of Shinra, you sure are a dunderhead." A 'hmm' came from him. I shook my head and looked around the area. "Weird…I would have expected Cloud to be out here by now. This kind of action can't keep a boy like himself in hiding for…there he is." Rufus chuckled again.

"I get it, you're interested in Cloud." I looked at him disgusted.

"Uh, no." Turning my attention back down I smiled at the timing of things. "But Rufus, I'm tired of playing charades." Before he could say anything I had him hanging over the ledge, his neck in my hand and his gun falling to the ground. Yazoo and Loz surrounded two Turks below who looked up when a gun clanked next to them. The boys smiled up at me when they saw a box in my left hand. Rufus's white cloak floated to the ground and my wings sprouted from behind.

"Do you remember why I got to be in SOLDIER so quickly?" I walked forward and off the ledge, floating there. Gentle swooshes were heard when my wings flapped against the wind. He eyed me angrily. "Because Jenova does reside with me." I let him go and motioned to Yazoo and Loz to get going. Both hopped on their bikes and rode off.

I noticed that Cloud was about to take down Bauhamut and all of us sped off. From inside the box I felt Jenova pleased with me and she made sure I knew. After a few minutes I heard clashing below. I turned down and saw the two fighting off Cloud. Said blonde turned to look up at me with a scowl and I smirked devilishly at him. I waved the box above my head in triumph and sped off. A couple of kunais shot past his face and one lodged right into his shoulder. Yazoo and Loz looked to one another but took this advantage and sped off.

It did not take long to find Kadaj and Sora. He stood on a tall building with Sora right next to him. A twinge of sadness came to me when realizing that Kadaj would no longer be around. I landed and strolled over to them. I smiled as he looked at the box.

"Here, Kadaj. Mother is waiting for you." My wings shuffled and Sora came over. I think she was testing to see how soft my feathers were compared to Sephiroth.

"Not as soft as Sephiroth's, right?" Surprised she smiled sheepishly at me. "It's okay, I don't mind." She nodded.

"You're right, but he has something special." I laughed.

"It's because you love him." Kadaj drew his blade and caught our attention. Jenova's head was cradled in his arm and he smiled. We nodded and he plunged the head to his chest. He merged with Jenova and I understood why he drew his blade. Taking out mine, I mentally patted my back for remember my weapons for once, and slammed mine against his. That action alone triggered the transformation and the 'Nightmare' stood before us.

I looked back to Sora who stared up lovingly into Sephiroth's. Gently I pushed her forward and she immediately fell into a hug. Sephiroth snaked his free arm around her and smirked. I smiled at them and turned to look around. A thump made me spun and swing my sword. It was a buster sword that my katana had slammed against. I smirked at him.

"Too late." He glared at me.

"Why are you doing this?" I snorted.

"For Sora. You killed her lover."

"Lov….er?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, my best friend was hurt after that and for two years she's been trying to recover. Now she's been healed. You have no chance against two Ex-SOLDIERS. Either back down now, or die." Cloud shook his head.

"This still isn't like you Ari. Think rationally! I know you can!" Using little strength I pushed him back with a swing of my arm and glared at him.

"I am thinking rationally." I looked back to Sephiroth. "I'll take care of blondie. What are you going to do?" Sephiroth, still holding Sora close, looked up to the sky.

"At first I was going to use this planet as a vessel to travel to another and start fresh, but maybe I'll just rule this planet instead." I began to nod only to feel a sharp pain in my back making me cringe lightly. Flashes of bright blue crossed my vision as the episode passed. I turned back to Cloud noticing he was having the same pain I was.

"Sephiroth," Sora said. He looked down to her, "is there any way you could heal Ari?" With Cloud distracted Sephiroth called me over. I followed orders and came to him.

"Where is your Geostigma?" I turned and lifted my shirt high enough to where my bra did not show. Sephiroth lifted it higher to see the full extent. A 'hmm' sounded and suddenly my pain drifted away. When I felt fresh and brand new, I twisted around and saw my back had no more discoloration. I smiled up at the General.

"Thank you." He smirked back at me and I turned to look at Cloud. "Alright blondie, let's get this over with."


	5. Chapter 5

**Well here we are readers, the last chapter. It was fun writing it but it must come to an end. Honestly, this is the first fanfic I've ever finished .;;**

**Anywho, I wanted to finish this today cause it's Ethereal's Birthday! This is my gift for ya hun ~ I hope you've had an amazing day!**

**Disclaimer ~ Sephiroth and all canon characters belong to Square Enix. Sora belongs to Ethereal and Ari belongs to me.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 ~ The End<strong>

**Sora's POV**

It felt…right. Just right to be there held in his arms. His scent tantalized my nose, teasing me to insanity. I wondered how I managed two years away from him. This in itself felt like heaven. Ari smiled at us which only made this moment all the more better. A few moments later she zipped around to face a blonde headed guy.

I never had seen him before but Sephiroth's hold on me got tighter. Realization hit me that he would be considered the 'good guy' of the situation. Sparks flew when their blades hit and the light looked rather pretty against Ari's complexion, for a moment I kinda envied her.

Her geostigma began to act up and I asked Sephiroth if he could help her. Without much thought he had Ari over to us and he removed the disease. Cloud on the other hand still fought against his. Ari looked confident and strong. Finally, I felt completely at ease.

"Alright blondie, let's get this over with." Her blade pointed towards him and she initiated the battle. We watched the two of them clash once before bounding off across the city.

My thoughts were returned to Sephiroth when his embrace tightened and I felt his soft lips atop my head. I dug my face into his chest, relishing his smell. For two years I had been depraved of such a smell and now I had him all to myself. Sephiroth murmured my name and I shivered from his dark and seductive voice.

There was nothing to be said. He only said my name for the sake of just saying it. Suddenly my head was being tilted and his lips crashed down on mine. I did not mind though, in fact I parted my lips before he could ask for permission. Well, he would have forced his tongue through but that does not matter.

His tongue explored mine and the crevices of my mouth, savoring every moment of being re-united. A few times we had to break for air but his mouth found mine each and every time. His hands began to rub my back and soon crept to my sides, caressing my hips. There were a few times I felt his fingers dig a little, exciting me for some odd reason…maybe it was because it told me how much he wanted me.

It was not until his hand found my bare skin that things began to really get heated. His hand kept teasing me every time they were near my breasts. In the heat of excitement I moaned in protest to which he smirked in our kisses.

We broke away from the make out session and he looked me right in the eye. There was a devilish glint about his eyes and it almost scared me. I dismissed it as him being amused about my moans.

"Feeling a little good are we?" I grinned at him and laughed lightly.

"You enjoyed it as much as I did." He chuckled in reply.

"You are right about that." A loud clash made me turn to find Cloud and Ari still battling.

"Ari…" Sephiroth cupped my cheek and made me look at him.

"Do not worry about her. She was the strongest SOLDIER I had. Cloud now can't defeat her." His confidence in her surprised me and I remembered back in the forest.

"How much do you know about Ari?" Sephiroth looked down at me in surprise and confusion.

"What would make you think of that?" I looked at Ari for a moment before bringing my eyes back to him.

"While convincing the brothers that we weren't a threat, Ari had to tell her backstory. They seemed to take to it well and I figured its because they were connected to you somehow…" He softly chuckled.

"Don't worry Sora, I'm not interested in her like I am you. What I do know is how she got here and her war with Kore. I'll have her fill you in better." With that we turned back to the battle. It still worried me because Ari seemed to be on the losing end. I opened my mouth and the General placed a finger on my lips.

"She's only allowing him the feeling of hope to defeat her. She did this often with us during training." Oh.

_Still, don't go and get yourself killed Ari…_I thought to myself warily.

**Ari's POV**

It was fun messing around with the blonde. For a few moments I gave him the satisfaction of gaining the upperhand until I pulled a slick one on him. I often wondered _how_ me managed to defeat Sephiroth in the first place…maybe Sephiroth slipped up himself and left too big of an opening…

We had already bounced from one rooftop to the other about a half dozen times and frankly I was getting bored of this. This little boy was not going to win this. Sora had too much to lose. Pushing Cloud off my blade we both stood on crumbling rooftops. I landed in a crouched position, making myself look like a predator ready to pounce. The blonde had landed on a room slightly below mine, giving me a much greater advantage to the situation.

_But be careful, sometimes you are most vulnerable being at the high top perch._ I rolled my eyes lightly but keeping the advice close to heart, I leapt towards the lightly wounded boy. Reeling my sword back, readying it for an attack , I fell closer and closer to the kid. Before he could swing at me I disappeared from his sight and he whipped his head to and fro, trying to figure out where I went.

His senses were too slow as I reappeared to his right and slammed my sword into his side. Blood flew past my face as I sped past his body, shoving his to the side. He flew a good ways, his body hurling through a decrepit building. I sighed and followed after him.

Cloud was standing back up when I rushed him. He barely swings his sword to block me and starts jumping around.

_Really Cloud? I expected more of you…especially since you've defeated Sephiroth once…_It was then that a thought hit me. If he did beat Sephiroth once does that possibly mean he could beat me? Sephiroth _is_ stronger than I am…something just told me that it was a stroke of dumb luck that he did.

Our blades clashed once again in the middle of the room. I was hardly giving any effort while he was putting everything into his own weapon.

"Why?" Caught off guard I looked at him stupidly. "Why Ari? Why are you doing this?" I rolled my eyes, irritated that I had to repeat myself.

"I hate repeating myself, Cloud. I'm doing this for Sora. Sephiroth isn't going to kill everyone this time. Sora has tamed him a bit." Cloud gritted his teeth.

"How do you know that?" My eye twitched at his ignorance.

"BECAUSE OF HOW HE TOOK HER IN!" I flung him up through the roof and followed closely behind swinging my katana down on him when we reached the roof. Sparks danced about us as our blades took hit after hit.

"Before you killed him two years ago he and Sora were living _**happily**_ up in the mountains! That brunette you saw just a few minutes ago was the one to tame the sadistic monster you came to know! The only reason he came back was because of Mother!" Cloud dropped his guard for a moment when he heard me say 'mother' like the brothers do and I managed a slice across his front.

Blood dripped from the tip of my katana, its attack cutting a little deep for the blonde. He held his chest for a moment before looking down at it. Cloud shook his head.

"You aren't the same…" I scoffed at him.

"You never even knew me…" I rushed him again and this time he managed to jump back. Our battle kept up like this until I began to grow tired of cat and mouse. I stopped suddenly and Cloud watched me wearily.

"We've played long enough Cloud. You're about to pass out from blood loss and I need to return to my friends."

"You consider Sephiroth a friend?" I tilted my head and had my gaze to the same direction as my head.

"Well…not like 'hey let's hang out' kind of friend, but someone I can be around and maybe have a nice conversation with." My head returned to a normal position and there was a different aura about me. Cloud noticed it right away.

My fighter mode decided to kick in, ready to go into a full on battle. _I might have to kill today…_It has been years since I have killed anyone. When I left Shinra, there was no need to. Cloud recognized the look in my eyes. The eyes of a predator.

"This is it Cloud. Put your blade down now or forever will you sleep." Cloud only readied his sword and I sighed. "Very well." Thus began my charge.

I caught sight of Sephiroth and Sora standing off in the distance, watching. A smirk came over my face and Cloud raised his sword.

_**SHINK!**_

Silence followed as I stood with my back to Cloud. Both of my arms relaxed at my sides, my sword held loosely in my right hand. A sword thunked behind me and shortly after a body. I turned my face towards the sunlight revealing a slice starting on the top of my left cheek over my nose stopping at my hairline in front of my right ear. Blood trickled from the wound as I looked down to the boy.

His hand twitched as he tried to get back up. I shook my head.

"You've got guts, I'll give you that. I would honestly rather not kill you, but if you continue this, I will have to." Whether if he listened to me or not, his arms gave out and he fell back down unconscious. I looked up to Sephiroth and Sora with a smile. My wings sprouted and I flew back up to them.

I barely landed when two arms wrapped around me in a death grip. A smile stretched across my face and I hugged the brunette back. She grabbed my shoulders and held me away at arm's length with a serious face, which I admit look freakin' adorable.

"Please don't ever do that again!" I laughed at her manner.

"What do you mean? Fighting or get into a death lock?" She scoffed at me,

"Both!" Both Sephiroth and I laughed and I hugged her gently. When we parted I sent a reassuring smile at her.

"Look, I am more than capable of defending myself. Last time Sephiroth and I fought, I was able to hold my own for a good while. I'm sure Sephiroth told you I was toying around with Cloud most of the time." Sora nodded but still looked worried. I smiled again and after a few moments she relaxed. I turned to Sephiroth.

"Cloud's not dead, but lemme explain." He stayed quiet waiting for me to inform him of my plans, "death may be too easy of a punishment. Keeping him alive in a cell would let him live and wallow in his defeat." Sephiroth caught onto what I was saying.

"You still haven't changed. Killing doesn't suit you anyway." I smiled lightly at him. "But I agree with you." An image of Rufus came to mind. I relayed to him my worries of Shinra. He only chuckled.

"They don't stand a chance." Curious I cocked my head and he told me to wait for a bit. I did and so did Sora.

* * *

><p>Well he certainly did have a plan. I had Rufus in my grasp, his hands bound by my left, while I held my katana at his neck in my right. All the employee's froze unsure what to do. Sephiroth ordered them to drop their weapons which they complied willingly. After capturing Shinra and its military forces, capturing the city was a breeze.<p>

I smiled at Sora, who seemed dazed with how fast things were moving. Sephiroth tilted her head and planted a loving kiss on her lips. I turned my head away feeling a tad bit uncomfortable. Sephiroth noticed and waited to say anything.

Still with a lot to do, I left the lovebirds alone and headed to the communications room.

* * *

><p>One by one I contacted cities all over the world to announce that Sephiroth had taken Midgar and would destroy any city that would not comply to his 'kingship'. Some of the bigger cities were harder to convince before I showed them the evidence that Sephiroth now ruled this city. In the end, all agreed and that's all that was needed.<p>

I left the room and met up with the two lovers in a big spacy room. Sora seemed really giddy and I immediately knew what had happened.

"Had fun you two?" Sephiroth smirked while Sora furiously blushed. I giggled and moved onto the next subject. "How did the town fare?" Sephiroth smiled.

"They are all too scared to argue. I will let them continue living as they are no-"

"_Children_." We all looked to one another before realizing who was trying to get our attention. To our right a bright light began to glow and slowly an alien image became clear.

"Mother," both Sephiroth and I said in unison. She smiled at us.

"_Children, I came to express my joy in the success of today._" Sephiroth and I exchanged smiles and he hugged Sora tightly with one arm. "_Ari,_" I turned back to Jenova, "_as promised I shall grant you what your heart desires._" The lovers turned to me questioning before having their attention stolen by Jenova raising an arm.

Darkness swirled from the ground as three figures began to take shape. I smiled as the brother's came into focus and they finally gained their conscious. The brother's moved their arms and watched their hands as they flexed their fingers. My attention went back to Jenova.

"Thank you, Mother." She smiled, not just her normal sadistic smile, but an honest smile.

"_I shall be watching over all of you. Goodbye my children._" With that she disappeared and it left all of us alone in that big room, which seemed eerily silent. Composing myself I suggested we start looking for a place to crash. Sora piped up.

"Why not here? I know it's Shinra, but once we fix up the place a bit, it won't feel like it. Plus, there's plenty of rooms for us." We looked to one another and agreed. Without even saying a word, Sephiroth and Sora took the master suite and not the brothers or I made an argument.

Walking through the halls, Kadaj and Loz took the lead while Yazoo and I took the rear. Before we went too far Yazoo grabbed onto my arm as the other two continued on. As I started to say something I felt a pair of lips on mine.

A blush erupted across my face as Yazoo gripped my arms and kissed me deeply. I felt his tongue against my bottom lip and without thought I parted my lips. Our tongues wrestled before he explored the inside of my mouth.

What drove me insane was his taste. I do not know how to describe his taste…it was masculine but…sweet? It left me craving more of him.

We finally had to break and I could not bring myself to look at him straight in the eye so I leaned my forehead against his chest. Funny, he and Sephiroth were of the same height.

My face burned with embarrassment at succumbing so easily to his advancements. There had only been one other guy I had kissed and that was years ago when I was a normal human. Kissing in itself was still very foreign to me.

Yazoo's gloved hand came under to my chin and forced me to look at him. He smirked at the blush.

"Enjoy yourself?" It was more of a statement than a question which made my face burn hotter. He chuckled and claimed my lips again. This time it was quick but I could feel the intensity of how much he wanted me. I sweat dropped to that thought.

I copied his little 'hmph' and he chuckled. A squeak came from me when he picked me up bridal style and started carrying me to the rooms.

When he found a room with a large enough bed he laid me down and began to undress. Ignoring my thoughts, I sat up.

"Yazoo…" he tossed his jacket on a desk chair, now only his pants and boxes remain on him, his pants already unzipped.

"Hmm?"

"When did you start…well you know…liking me?" He stripped his pants off and hung them over his jacket, leaving him only in his black silky boxers. I could not help but to…well gape at his well-toned body. Thankfully he wore boxers. If he wore briefs, I would have made him go get some boxers. He noticed my staring and smirked walking over to me. He stopped in front of me and grabbed onto the bottom of my shirt. He took off the article of clothing with a soft smile on his lips. For some reason I did not feel violated.

"Ari…" shivers rode down my back, "it was when you first came to be our 'sister'." His hands unbuttoned my pants which sent me on alert. Surprisingly he did not try to fondle me but rather just slid them off of me and placed it on the favorite chair. Only when he went for my bra did I grab his wrist. He looked at me oddly.

"Why are you undressing me?" He chuckled.

"You now ask that after I've got your shirt and pants off?" I cocked an eyebrow,

"Only because I didn't feel violated." He gave me that look. I rolled my eyes. "I would feel vulnerable if I was bare in front of you. I'm still covered, even partially right now." His hand cupped my face.

"Eventually I will have you under me sweating, begging, and screaming for me. You will be naked then." My face erupted into a furious blush at his innuendo. The idea of completely surrendering and giving myself to him was such a foreign but graspable idea. With me disoriented, he unhitched my bra and took note of my busty bust. He went through the dresser and found an oversized shirt and a pair of boxers. First the boxers then came the shirt.

Yazoo sauntered over to the other side, climbed into the bed and motioned for me to join him. Slipping underneath the covers I settled down and welcomed his arms around me.

**Five years later…**

Little squeals and giggled echoed through the room as kids ran around. Two little boys and a girl while the mothers sat off to the side. A brunette and a cyan haired woman watched with careful eyes, exchanging pleasantries. The cyan haired woman held a baby in her arms who slept soundly in her mother's arms. Four men entered and two of them came over to their wives. Sephiroth, now a proud father of two, kissed the brunette on the forehead. The town was quiet and nothing needed to be taken care of and he just wanted to be with his woman.

Yazoo, a young and also proud father wrapped his arms around the blue haired female as he smiled down at his newborn daughter. Their son ran over and climbed up onto his mother's lap while the other two children ran up to their parents wanting to be picked up.

The parents obliged and enjoyed the giggle fits of their children. The adults looked to one another, pleasantly happy and carefree. Nothing now could hurt them and not a thing will ever get in their way again.


End file.
